


Group Hug

by Link-Trashart (FanFiction_Artist_Prototype)



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Alive Champions (Legend of Zelda), Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, But the comfort is only here for like 0.0005 seconds, Canonical Character Death, Character Death, Implied Relationships, Link needs a hug, Major Character Undeath, Other, Rebirth, Selectively Mute Link (Legend of Zelda), Uncanonical Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:27:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28489038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FanFiction_Artist_Prototype/pseuds/Link-Trashart
Summary: Link doesn't know if he was religious previously, but considering the fact he's been hearing a voice every time he's prayed he's inclined to believe he probably was. And because he doesn't know if he was religious he doesn't know if he ever asked for something and Hylia granted it, however he thinks defeating the Calamity after dying to it the first time constitutes some kind of free wish card.All he wants, truly, is for his friends to have the chance at a life he got and didn't deserve and to welcome them back into the world with a hug. That, is all he wants.
Relationships: Daruk & Link & Mipha & Revali & Urbosa & Zelda (Legend of Zelda), implied Link/Revali
Comments: 6
Kudos: 126





	Group Hug

Link doesn't know if he was religious previously, but considering the fact he's been hearing a voice every time he's prayed he's inclined to believe he probably was. And because he doesn't know if he was religious he doesn't know if he ever asked for something and Hylia granted it, however he thinks defeating the Calamity after dying to it the first time constitutes some kind of free wish card.

All he wants, truly, is for his friends to have the chance at a life he got and didn't deserve and to welcome them back into the world with a hug.

 _That,_ is all he wants.

* * *

The waters of the shrine of courage are familiar, and he wanders up to the foot of the goddess statue letting himself be submerged up to his neck. He'd taken the time in the three months at the start of Zelda's recovery where she could barely stay awake for more than food and water going around and removing the Hylian made stoppers on the springs; a massive boulder had been rolled into place forcing the spring to stay at ankle level and since Link had removed the obstruction the local vegetation had begun to thrive - but that wasn't important.

He was submerged to his neck and the shrine's waters were familiar and there was an ache in his chest, causing his torso to feel like a hollow case for pain and a faint heartbeat.

 _"Hero,"_ Looking towards the Goddess' statue he watched as the unnatural light illuminated the stone, even godly light unable to sweeten the hardened features carved into the rock, _"You come with a request, I have heard it at the statues as you made your way here but it is now that I give my response."_

The water around him felt like it was growing warmer and he slide his eyes closed letting everything melt away until all that he could focus on was Hylia's voice, _"You are asking of me four lives, that is not something I can conjure into existence even for you, my dear hero."_

"What if you took mine? I've had a hundred years more than I'm supposed to... even if it's just twenty five years each."

A pause, one that felt much more powerful than that split second after he'd ended Ganon's life and the world had come into motion again, _"That would mean killing you my hero, your extended life for four. And what would the Princess think of you throwing the time you have together away?"_

"Zelda will have four other people to spend her time with, besides..." Impa had given him an indepth lesson on the Hero's cycle and originally it had caused him discomfort, once more reigniting the feeling of being a foreign entity in his own body as he wondered if it even was his body or if he was just the next reincarnation born into the corpse left behind. But now, the knowledge calms him, gives him comfort against the seemingly imposing question of the Goddess, "It's not like I'm leaving her forever, we'll meet again in the next life."

Hylia seems to sigh, though it is not a sound he would have ever thought to associate with the divine voice that had been with him right along side Zelda's his entire journey, _"My tireless champions... my dear Princess does not know what you wish to do my hero, does she? No... if she did then surely you would not be here in this spring... A current life for four shortened ones. There are people you will leave behind-"_

"I'm always leaving people behind, just this time it's my choice."

Link knows it is and yet isn't him speaking then. It's the combined conviction of a hundred lives lived and lost, the grief of a thousand loved ones left behind and lost to the passage of time and the angst of his predecessors who would have killed for a choice, who are clawing their way to the surface to tell the Goddess that _they will not have this taken from them - not again. They are done with it and they demand this one thing from their Goddess._

 _"You speak the truth my hero,"_ Hylia almost sounds sad, _"If I cannot change your mind then I have one last thing to say to you my dearest hero, I will greet you with reverence in your next life. Now, return to your Princess and I will take care of all that must be done."_

* * *

Steps echoing through Hyrule castle is what alerts him to the fact that there is something wrong because the castle should be bustling with life and the newly hired staff should be flitting about with fever and surely Zelda should be stood atop the staircase with a clipboard as the few remnants of the Hyrule nobility try and convince her that common Hylian trousers (borrowed along with his dyed tunic) are not appropriate for a nearly Queen.

He draws his blade then, the Master Sword hums in his hand, more alive than it ever has been before and he wonders if it's because it's been so close to the Goddess light in the last few days.

It's eerily familiar this silent track through Hyrule Castle, except this time Link has no idea what awaits him, no clue as to what could be lurking in the bowls of the infernal stone structure.

And perhaps that is why when there is a squeak from Zelda's room he doesn't think before storming to the door and throwing the door open, prepared to slash the first thing that moves and-

The points of Mipha's trident press ever so slightly against his neck from where the Zora had thrust the weapon forward in defence and it is only grace from the goddess that means he was not far enough into the room to have it run him through.

He stares at the Zora Princess and she stares back at him, the Master Swords only blade positioned at her throat. They're in parlay and despite asking for this mere days ago Link cannot bring himself to lower his blade because he cannot believe that it's not all some cruel elaborate trick. 

"Well that's certainly one way to greet us I suppose."

A clatter sounds through the room as the Master Sword hits the ground and his knees follow shortly after the Lightscale trident is removed from his neck.

Revali, Daruk, Urbosa, Mipha and Zelda all look down at him and Link... Link feels like he can breath now; and then that breathing turns to sobs as wings are wrapped around him, then scaled arms and rocks and then finally two other pairs of arms and Link can only bring himself to fist the back of Revali's armour.

Because they're here, they're alive and it **_worked_**. And he doesn't have any time to enjoy it but he's so happy and-

Some broken form of a laugh breaks through his closing up throat as the Rito holding onto him tugs him away ever so slightly and tilts their heads so that his nose rubs against the side of his beak and tears blur his vision and his hands feel numb but it doesn't matter.

Not anymore, because they're back.

And maybe he doesn't have any time to celebrate it but he has enough time to understand it and that's why he presses a sloppy Hylian kiss to where the beak meets feathers and hides his face away in Mipha's shoulder as his Rito squeaks, peaking over scales to share amused glances with Urbosa and Daruk as Zelda devolves into giggling over the absurdity of it all.

Once he's seen her happy he hides his face away and let's everything wash over him:

Focusing on the contrasting feeling of soft feathers and coarse scales holding him close. Focusing on the warmth Daruk radiated that settled bone deep. And focusing on how happy Zelda was wrapped up under Urbosa's arm and surrounding by those that love her.

It's easy then, to let his eyes slide closed to the feeling of love and care, letting his hands loosen their death grip.

It's even easier to just... let go when voices he can't remember call his name. He's brought people back home, now he supposes it's time for him to go back as well.

He thinks he hears the call of his name in something now becoming unfamiliar but when he pulls his eyes open there's only a forest above him and a little girl with green hair and- _Navi flutters over to him tinkling on about how he needs to get better at waking up on time and he can't help but pull his tongue at the fairy because really, he was much better than her and shouldn't she really be telling Midna and all those from that life to wake up by now?_

* * *

Revali feels Link's entire body go slack in one hard defeated movement and can't help but nip at the cartilage in his pointed ear to get his attention before realising the Hylian has passed out cold.

"The chosen Hero has decided to take a nap apparently, " he steals his Hylians full weight from Mipha and pulls the sleeping man back to get a better look at his face-

"No."

It's the only word running through his mind, no no no no no no no no. Because this isn't real, this isn't happening-

Link is not in his arms eyes glassy and face absent of life or colour and- no what are they oh...

Revali feels himself fall back on his tail feathers as the hug disbands as everyone suddenly realises that Link is dead in his arms; but he's not in his arms anymore because Zelda has taken him and her hands are glowing with that infernal triforce and she's shouting and screaming.

Something about Guardians or the Calamity or something but everything is starting to fade and all he can focus on is the unmoving chest that divine life force is being forced into, and then red flashes and Mipha is pushing Zelda to the side but Revali can tell- if the light of the goddess isn't doing anything then what will healing magic do?

Nothing, no matter how many times they try it, it doesn't work and- and Link is dead and Revali doesn't know when he got his Hylian back in his arms but he's there, one last time.

And there is nothing he can do but curl inwards, hoping that if he hides the lifeless face and glass eyes from the world that when he looks again it won't be true but it is and that is an inescapable truth and-

And Revali wishes he'd stayed dead.


End file.
